Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s the first of its kind in Canada — and a labour of love for one Lethbridge-area horseman. Would-be horse trainers are already beating down Ernie Knibb’s door, and he hasn’t even opened the door to the Lethbridge Community Equine College. The private college, located just outside Lethbridge on Highway 25, will be the first […] Read more
Lethbridge horseman founds first equine-training college in Canada
Ernie Knibb is financing the $7.5-million project and expects to have the school up and running in late March or early April
Don’t wing it — or refuse comment — if your farm makes the six o’clock news
Consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley has some basic advice for dealing with the media
Reading Time: 2 minutes If the media ever shows up at your farm, treat them like you would a “big hungry dog,” says PR consultant and media trainer Grant Ainsley. “You have to feed it, or it will howl, bark and eventually bite,” he said. “You can’t always control what happens, but you can control your reaction.” The worst […] Read more
This spud’s for you — breeders develop new low-glycemic potato
Low-glycemic potatoes don’t cause a big spike in insulin, which makes it suitable for diabetics
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a new spud in town, and it’s made to suit Canada’s growing number of diabetics. The new and as yet unnamed potato has a lower-glycemic-index potential, improved digestibility, and can be enjoyed without creating a big spike of sugar and insulin in the body. “As part of improving the food attributes, we’ve been more […] Read more
Paying it forward — family’s donation to create animal welfare ‘win-wins’
Already a leader in the field, the U of C’s vet school will expand research to help both producers and the animals in their care
Reading Time: 3 minutes It is, by any measure, a lot of money. But her family’s $5-million donation to the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine for animal welfare research is money well spent, says Cochrane-area rancher Wynne Chisholm. “We love animals and have a soft spot for cows. Cow-calf is underserved in terms of research,” said Chisholm, […] Read more
Wheat buyers pumped when Alberta farmers visit
Wheat buyers have all kinds of questions from mycotoxins and food safety to supply and crop data, and they also want to meet growers in person
Reading Time: 4 minutes When Lynn Jacobson went to Asia on a trade mission, he found his preconceived notions were completely wrong. “My preconception of what society was like over there was completely changed,” said the grain farmer from Enchant. “I thought they were 10 to 15 years behind us, but in some ways they’re 10 to 15 years […] Read more
Curator of ag faculty museum has a passion for preserving history
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fourteen years ago, Jack Francis began a letter-writing campaign, urging the University of Alberta to create a museum to house artifacts from its ag faculty. And when he got a positive response, he stepped up to the plate. “If one suggests something, you have to do something about it and help support it,” he said. […] Read more
Ag society conference in Oz an eye-opener for young Albertan
Reading Time: 3 minutes It took a trip Down Under to give Lauren Hennig a new perspective on agriculture. “I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see the passion for agriculture and rural communities from across the globe,” the 26-year-old junior high teacher said after returning from a Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth conference in Brisbane, […] Read more
Scientist says plants — not soil — are the building blocks of life
Australian soil scientist Christine Jones challenges conventional thinking by arguing microbes and fungi are the key to soil health
Reading Time: 4 minutes Though many claim that soil is the building block of life, Christine Jones has a different approach. “It’s not the soil that is the building block of life. It’s the plants,” the internationally acclaimed soil scientist and agricultural consultant said at a sold-out appearance in Olds. The Australian also drew a large crowd in Rycroft, […] Read more
New program for dairy producers aims to reassure consumers
ProAction replaces the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding components for animal care and environmental sustainability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dairy producers are revamping the Canadian Quality Milk program by adding protocols for animal care, on-farm food safety, traceability, biosecurity, and environmental sustainability. The new national accreditation program, called ProAction, was designed with consumers in mind, said Mike Slomp, industry and member services manager with Alberta Milk. “ProAction is about the social licence to operate, […] Read more
Sherwood Park man invents new cattle tracker with multiple uses
Wireless rumen bolus can track cattle and other livestock and also measure their temperature to predict sickness or fertility cycles
Reading Time: 2 minutes It all started with a simple idea. Neil Helfrich, a Sherwood Park inventor, had a moment of inspiration when his wife brought home a puppy in 2007. The dog had a microchip implant, which identifies the animal but can’t track it if it runs away. A device able to do the latter, Helfrich realized, would […] Read more